Hydraulic steady rest chuck



June 20, 1950 s, ADAlR 2,511,827

HYDRAULIC STEADY REST CHUCK Filed April 2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l ll June 20, 1950 R. s. ADAlR HYDRAULIC STEADY REST CHUCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 2, 1947 l 2, t: I, I! v 1 I 9 I 171 All: 4'- I N J m m INVENTOR.

B W/ M L r r e/elven Patented June 20, 1950 UNITED STATES eraNT' OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to steady rests and more particularly to chucks therefor.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a, steady rest chuck.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a hydraulically operated steady rest chuck.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a hydraulically actuated steady rest chuck capable of imparting uniform motion to the work piece engaging members of the chuck.

A still further object of 'the invention is the provision of a self-contained hydraulic steady rest chuck.

The invention shown and described herein relates to metal forming machines such as lathes and more particularly to steady rests used in connection therewith for supporting sections of material in operative relation in the said lathe.

t is well known that various forms of steady rest constructions have been proposed. and in view of the necessity of positively centering the steady rest work engaging members, with the Work so as to hold it in proper location'in the machine, many of these proposed constructions have been found inoperative.

In the present invention, a steady rest is disclosed in which the work engaging members are reciprocally mounted and uniformly and simultaneously moved by means of a multiple cam ring with which the several work engaging mem bers are engaged. Hydraulic means is provided for imparting partial rotating movement to the cam ring and the invention resides primarily in the combination of the reciprocally mounted work engaging members, the multiple camring with which they register for movement and the hydraulic means for imparting partial rotating movement to the multiple cam ring.

With the foregoing and other objects in view The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a portion of 'a lathe and a hydraulically actuated steady rest chuck positioned thereon.

the hydraulically actuated steady rest chuck with parts broken away and parts in cross section.

Figure 3 isa side elevation of a pump handle used in actuating a hydraulic steady rest ,chuck. By referring to the drawings and Figure 1, in particular, it will be seen that a lathe or. similar machine bed is generally indicated. ,by thenumeral H1 and that a steady rest supporting frame ii is slidably positioned thereon and that the steady rest supporting frame i l is provided with sidewardly movable locking members 12 which are adapted to engage portions of the machine bed it! to position the steady rest in any'desirable location thereon and maintain it in such position, This particular locking means isnot further illustrated or described herein, as it constitutes in part the Subject matter of my co-pending application, Serial No. 677,033, filed June 15, 1946 on Steady rest for alathe.

The present invention relates to the chuck or work engaging" portions or the "steady rest as disclosed in the upper portion of Figure 1, the reciprocally mounted work engaging members being indicated by the numeral [3 and each in turn being provided with a manually adjustable'tip portion l4; These reciprocally mounted Work engaging members I3 are preferably positioned in a triangular pattern radially spaced about the center point of the work receiving opening I5 of the steady rest, the main circular body portion-of which is generally indicatedby th numeral l6.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the several work engaging members I3 are uniformly and simultaneously moved into en- Figure 2 is an enlargednetailed elevation of :55

gagement with a work piece positioned therebetween and through the opening l5 in the steady rest body It by suitable means so that'the work piece will be supported on its true axis. The means for motivating the work engaging member !3 comprises a multiple cam ring, as best shown in Figure 2 of the drawings and by referring thereto it will be seen that the multiple cam ring is indicated by the numeral l1 and that it includes a plurality of cam slots l8 formed in arcuate pattern therein, each of which provides a means when the cam ring I! is partially rotated, for imparting reciprocal movement to the work engaging members l3 which engage the cam slots it by pin means 19. In order that the cam ring Il may be rotated partially so as to effectively move the work engaging members l3 inwardly and outwardly of the opening l5 and hence into and out of engagement with a work piece positioned therethrough, hydraulic means for moving 3 the cam ring H with respect to the body member l6 of the steady rest is provided.

The hydraulic means is disclosed in cross section in Figure 2 of the drawings and may be seen to comprise two general interconnected assemblies, one of the assemblies comprising a hydraulic cylinder in which a telescopically arranged piston 2| is operatively positioned, one end of the hydraulic cylinder 2|! being pivotally aflixed by means of a pivot 22 to the body member 6 of the steady rest and the telescopically arranged piston 2| pivotally affixed to the cam ring l1 by means of a pivot 23. The telescopically arranged piston includes the main cylinder engaging portion 2| and a secondary plunger portion 2 |A, the plunger portion 2|A being slidably mounted in the hollow interior of the piston 2| and an end thereof extending outwardly of the end of the piston 2| for engaging the pivot 23. Thus, hydraulic pressure introduced adjacent the innermost end of the piston 2| and plunger 2J4 thereofas through a communication: channel 24 will move the piston 2| to the right asshown in Figure zof the. drawn S; ,until its full extension is reached and shoulders 25 thereonengage shoulders 26 formed 9n the inner wall of, the cylinderj28. When this occurs, continued hydraulic. pressure introduced into the cylinder 20f through the channel 24 will cause the plunger 21A to move outwardly of the hollow piston 2'|. .This action provides a large degreev of motion between the pivots 22 and as andthereby efi'ectively imparts suitable movement to the cam ring H which isin turn translated-to reciprocating movement of; the work enga ing members; 3 byreasonof their-registry .with the cam slots, l8; formed in'the cam ring l1. s

Means for supplying hydraulic pressure to the piston and cylinderassembly just described; is provided-and comprises a pump of novel formation also located within the body member B of the steady rest and capable of manual actuation joy-the use of a. Dump handle 26 which is partially shown inoperative relation. in Figure 2 and, is also shown in side elevationin Figure 3. The pump handle is arranged to engage a piston-21 located in a cylinder member 28 disposed in a hollow pump body'member 29.. The pump body member 29 isaflixed to the body-member l3 of the chuck by means of shoulders 30 and is of suflicient size to form a reservoir for hydraulic fluid, the chamber defined by'the hollow pump body member being indicated by the numeral 3 A.drilled and tapped opening 32 provided with a closureplug 33 provides access'to the chamber 3! and the pump cylinder 28'will' be seen to be disposed within the chamber- 3| to that reciprocating movement imparted to the piston 21in the pump cylinder 28 as by the'pump handle 26 will effectively move hydraulic fluid from the chamber 3|to-the channel 24. The piston 21 is normallyurged outwardlyof the pumpcylinder 28 by means of a spring 34 and a pair of ball type check valves 35 and 36, respectively control the inlet and outlet openings communicating with the interior-of 'the 'pump cylinder 28. The ball check 36 is located in one end of a tubular extension 31 of thechannel 24 heretofore referred-toand the outer end of the tubular member 31 is connected with the channe1'24of the cylinder 28 by means of a section of flexible tubing 38. A pressure gau'geSB is' also connected: with the channel 2 1 by means of a section of flexible tubing 48 and is disposed in theperiphery of the body member 4 H5 so that the pressure built up by the piston 21 in the pump cylinder 28 may be observed.

It will thus be seen that when the pump handle 26 is engaged with the body member l6 of the steady rest as in a recess therein and the handle moved manually, the piston 21 is moved inwardly of the pump cylinder 28 thereby compressing the spring 34. When the handle 26 is moved away from the piston 21 the spring 34 moves the piston 21 outwardly and fluid from the chamber 3| is drawn into the pump cylinder 28 flowing past the ball check valve 35. When the piston 21 is again moved inwardly of the pump cylinder 28 as by the handle 23, the fluid in the pump cylinder 28 moves past the ball check valve 36 and outwardly through the tubular extension 31, the flexible hose 38 and through the communication channel 24 into the cylinder 20 where it moves the telescopic piston assembly 2 This action increases the effective distance between the pivots 22 and 23 and thereby causes the cam ring 21 to move, which movement is imparted to the work engaging members l3 heretofore referred to. When the work engaging members I3 are thereby moved in the opposite direction, a valve 4| is opened which opens a communication channel 42 which includes a section of flexible tubing 43 and by-passes the hydraulic fluid directly from the cylinder 20 to the chamber 2|. A heavy coil spring 44 is connected between the cam ring I1 and the body member l6 and serves to partially rotate the cam ring l1 in the opposite direction thereby telescoping the telescopic piston assembly 2| and moving the hydraulic fluid back into the chamber 3|. When this occurs, the work engaging members l3 are moved in the opposite direction by reason of their engagement with the cam slots 8 in the cam ring l1 It will thus be seen that a hydraulically actuated steady rest chuck has been described and disclosed and it will be seen that it will operate efficiently for its intended purpose and thereby meet the several objects of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a steady rest having a plurality of movably mounted work engaging members, means for imparting simultaneous and uniform movement to the said work engaging members, said means including a multiple cam member rotatably positioned in the said steady rest, a spring normally biasing the said multiple cam member in one direction and hydraulically actuated extensible .means for moving thesaid multiple cam member in the opposite direction, said work engaging members in registry with the said multiple cam member, said hydraulically actuated extensible means comprising a fluid reservoir, a fluid pump disposed in said reservoir, a telescopically engaged piston and cylinder connected to the said steady rest and to the said multiple cam member, flexible fluid connection means connecting the said piston and cylinder assembly with the said pump and reservoir, and means on the exterior of the said reservoir through which the pump may be energized.

2. In a steady rest having a plurality of movably mounted work engaging members, means for imparting simultaneous and uniform movement to the said work engaging members, said means including a multiple cam member rotatably positioned in the said steady rest, a spring normally biasing the said multiple cam member in one direction and extensible. hydraulically actuated means for moving the said multiple cam member in the opposite direction, said work engaging members in registry with the said multiple cam member, said extensible hydraulically actuated means comprising a fluid reservoir, a fluid pump disposed in said reservoir, a telescopically engaged piston and cylinder connected to the said steady rest and to the said multiple cam member, flexible fluid connection means connecting the said piston and cylinder assembly with the said pump and reservoir, and means on the exterior of the said reservoir through which the pump may be energized, and fluid pressure gauging means in communication with the flexible fluid connection RUSSEIL S. ADAIR.

REFERENCES CITED I The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

